PDLP Chapter 1701: Two Questions and One Answer
Chapter 1701: Two Questions and One Answer
Chapter 1701 Two Questions and One Answer
"Just this little thing?"
Wei Zaike winked and looked at the small circuit board in his hand, then frowned and asked, "What's so precious about it?"
"Technology is like how you know wood isn't worth much, but you still have to buy furniture."
Zhou Linghua smiled and explained, "Don't underestimate its small size; it's very capable and can accomplish a lot of tasks."
Wei Zaike raised an eyebrow at him, placed the circuit board in her hand on the desk, pointed at it and said, "Then have it make me a stool."
"Ha ha ha ha--"
There were many people in Li Xuewu's office at the moment, and they couldn't help but laugh when they saw the two of them arguing.
Li Xuewu, who was signing Ma Baosen's papers, also smiled. This precious child that Shangguan Qi had arranged to be delivered had finally made an appearance.
“Who knows!” Zhou Linghua didn’t feel embarrassed at all. He joked, “Maybe in ten or twenty years, when the electronics industry has developed well, we will really be able to make our own furniture.”
"Dream on, making furniture."
Having just completed the handover at Yingcheng Shipyard and preliminarily sorted out the work procedures, Wei Zaike headed north to Gangcheng to report to Li Xuewu and give a report on his thoughts on fulfilling his duties.
Coincidentally, Bai Guangming from Gangfei, Ao Yuhua from Gangdian, and Feng Xingke from the rolling mill were also there.
Zhou Linghua previously served as Li Xuewu's electromechanical business specialist in the Liaodong Industrial Leading Group Office.
He is now the director of the office of the Electromechanical Management Department of the Northeast Industrial Development Corporation, which can be considered a valuable experience.
At twenty-six, he was at the age where he dared to dream and act. He even dared to think about things 20 years from now when the Optoelectronics Research Institute sent him a circuit board related to the audio of a color television.
“If you say it can sing or act, I’ll believe you, but if you say it can do work, I don’t believe you.”
Wei Zaike looked at Zhou Linghua and said, "Do you want to tell me how it's going to make me a bench in the future?"
Everyone in the room turned to look at Zhou Linghua. As the center of attention, the pressure he felt facing a room full of factory managers was unimaginable.
Li Xuewu put away his pen and joined in the fun. The clash of ideas between veteran and young cadres in Honggang Group was a common occurrence within the group.
Zhou Linghua joined Honggang Group in 68, was transferred to Liaodong Industrial Leading Group in 69, and became a section chief in 71.
In four years, he has completed the initial transition from a college graduate to the head of a basic department, truly deserving the title of "a promising young talent."
But in this office, apart from Ma Baosen who had just left, only Li Xuewu was younger than him.
Looking at the others, none of them are under thirty-five years old; the youngest, Ao Yuhua, is already thirty-seven.
A ten-year age gap creates a generation gap in thinking. From the current perspective, the younger generation of cadres in the group are very different from the older cadres in their prime in every aspect.
This is exactly what Li Xuewu is happy to see and hopes to see. The greater the difference, the more open-minded the young cadres are.
If Honggang Group were an administrative unit, then ideological reform and change could be slower. But in an industrial enterprise, if it wants to lead the group to gain a foothold in the upcoming wave of marketization, even being slow will leave it behind by the times.
Watching Zhou Linghua debate with the crowd, Li Xuewu was not in a hurry at all. Having to face marketization is unfortunate, but fortunately, their generation still has time to train and grow.
You don't know this yet, do you?
Zhou Linghua slowly picked up the circuit board that Wei Zaike had just placed on the desk and pointed to it, saying, "The latest CNC milling machine produced by Fengcheng Machinery Factory has already used the latest electronic components developed by the group."
"It's something like the one I have in my hand."
He gestured to the crowd and said, "I don't need to explain CNC machine tools, everyone knows them. In the past, it was based on technology, but now it's based on data. I tell it how to do the work, and it does the work exactly as I tell it to."
“In the past, raising a donkey required feeding it hay. But with CNC machine tools, and without even needing a whip to urge it on, it gets the job done.”
Wei Zaike and the others were either sitting in chairs opposite Li Xuewu's desk or on the sofa, all watching him speak.
Ao Yuhua even showed admiration in her gaze when she looked at him, after all, she was now the factory manager of Gangcheng Electronics Factory.
"You said you need a stool, no problem."
Zhou Linghua shook the circuit board and said, "Now I can use CNC machine tools to carve from raw wood, bench legs, bench seats, and even without a craftsman to repair them."
He put down the circuit board, spread his hands, and continued to describe, "Just like this, you can assemble the stool you want."
"Why did I say ten or twenty years from now?"
Having already answered Wei Zaike's question, he was still not satisfied, raising his eyebrows and emphasizing: "I look forward to the future, eliminating the need for manual operation of CNC machine tools and assembly procedures."
"I sit in my office, press a button, and a giant hand cuts a towering tree down at the roots."
"I'll press the button again, and the tree will be sawed into logs on the spot and loaded onto a truck and sent to the furniture factory."
He spoke with great enthusiasm, laughing as he said, "The driver delivers the logs, and without me even getting out of the truck, I just press a button again, and all the logs on the truck are delivered to the raw material warehouse."
"I don't need to do anything anymore. The timber in the raw material warehouse is automatically trimmed, dried, and processed. It is selected and processed one by one by the machine along the conveyor belt, and I..."
Zhou Linghua pointed to himself and raised his voice, saying, "I stood at the very last step of the entire process, watching as the bench that Director Wei wanted appeared before me, and personally delivered it to him."
"Hahaha--"
Everyone was listening with great interest until they saw him gesturing and presenting something to Wei Zaike with both hands, at which point they suddenly found it very amusing.
This young man, holy crap, he's got some serious ideas!
"I really look forward to that day."
Wei Zaike looked at the young man in front of him with a hint of appreciation, but his tone was no longer so confrontational.
Who doesn't hope for a better future?
clap clap-
They were all laughing, but Ao Yuhua looked at Zhou Linghua very seriously and applauded his idea.
"Well said, and your thoughts are excellent."
She smiled and said, "You should take these ideas and make them a reality yourself, instead of sitting in your office and waiting."
"Haha!" Bai Guangming laughed and pointed at her, saying, "You're really something, poaching someone right in front of the boss."
"This is my sincere advice."
Ao Yuhua smiled and looked at Li Xuewu, asking, "Secretary-General, you also hope that talented cadres will go to the front line, right?"
“Talented cadres can realize their ideals anywhere.”
Li Xuewu's mouth is like magic; nothing can stump him. He's the one who makes things difficult for others.
After answering Ao Yuhua, he looked at Zhou Linghua and said in a gentle tone, "If the day you think about really comes, then I also have a question I want to ask you."
When Zhou Linghua saw the leader speak, he quickly adopted a serious expression and listened attentively.
"You said that from the big tree to the bench, it took a driver and you pressing the button, so what are we doing?"
Li Xuewu shrugged and asked, "If the production process of all goods in the world becomes simpler, how will the vast working class survive? Will there be no workers left?"
“This…” Zhou Linghua was stunned for a moment, and his face became tense.
In this day and age, who would dare to question or speculate about abolishing the worker group? Wouldn't that be a fundamental error?
Everyone else in the room was also thinking about this question, but no one thought that Li Xuewu was deliberately making things difficult for Zhou Linghua.
"Go back and think it over carefully."
Li Xuewu's tone remained gentle. He looked at him, nodded, and said, "Don't rush to answer. Come back to me when you've thought it through."
"Okay...okay, leader." Zhou Linghua nodded stammeringly, glanced at the secretary-general's expression, then said goodbye to the other leaders and left.
"What's your take on this issue?" Ao Yuhua asked Li Xuewu with great interest, "Do you also believe that technology will be this advanced in the future?"
“Five hundred years ago, who would have dared to imagine something like a television set?” Li Xuewu picked up his teacup and said, “Science and technology are advancing by leaps and bounds, especially in this era we live in.”
"You know, when a door opens, the light rushes in the fastest when it's about to be fully open."
He took a sip of warm tea, smiled, put down the teacup, and continued, "Throughout history, every generation has felt that they are living in the right era."
Everyone understood his words; the door to technological development will never be fully opened, but it will only infinitely approach that level.
Do you think the working class will disappear?
Ao Yuhua persisted, driven by her thirst for knowledge about this viewpoint, and continued to ask: "Is everyone just sitting at home eating and waiting to die?"
"Science and technology advance, and society also progresses. What you described is a regression."
Li Xuewu smiled and looked at her as he said, "When industry develops to its extreme, the value of commodities is infinitely compressed, people's demand for material things decreases, and they will have a need for culture, that is, a spiritual need."
Wei Zaike raised an eyebrow slightly, wanting to say something, but held back.
"Think about it carefully, most of the songs in the fields are celebrating the harvest, otherwise how could they sing on an empty stomach?"
Li Xuewu knew that some of them were skeptical or even dismissive of his views.
The main reason is that this era was a period of isolation from the outside world, with unequal information communication and exchange.
The Age of Exploration has been over for several centuries, we have experienced two world wars, and information technology has advanced to this day, yet a significant information gap still exists across the globe.
How many people around the world still don't know that the Earth is round?
"If society is progressing, it means that the professions of all social strata will not completely disappear, but will change."
Li Xuewu nodded slowly, sat up straight, and said to everyone, "There were no photographers in ancient times, but there were painters who made a living by painting portraits."
"Of course, if we're just talking about workers, then wherever there's a factory, there will definitely be workers."
He paused here, glanced at everyone, and said, "I have another question for you. You should also think about what positions in the factory cannot be replaced by machines."
-
Since Bai Guangming and others completed their work reports after taking office, the factories under the Northeast Industrial Group have been experiencing a wave of ideological upheaval.
Everyone is discussing two issues: one is what will happen to workers when science and technology develop to their fullest extent.
The second reason is that their job can be replaced by mechanization and automation.
Don't think that mechanization and automation are far removed from domestic industrial production. Anyone who has studied history knows that the industrial revolution of automation began in 53, almost 20 years ago.
During the First Five-Year Plan period, with the assistance of the Soviet Union, domestic industries such as steel, power, and chemicals all used relays and analog instruments for control.
Of course, you could argue that these don't qualify as electrification and automation, but rather as semi-automation, and don't qualify as "modern automation transformation."
What about now?
What others may not know is that at Li Xuewu's level, he already has access to some core technologies.
He accompanied Hu Ke to visit many enterprises in Liaodong, including the Fengcheng Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
In later generations, people have seen the robot marathon getting better and better year by year, but do you know when the research on robots and intelligent control began?
Right now, skyscrapers rise from the ground, and just because you see something for the first time doesn't mean it's new.
Why did Li Xuewu keep urging Lao Li to increase investment in the Institute of Optoelectronics, and even take the initiative to encourage young cadres like Shangguan Qi to strive for higher management positions?
Back in Beijing, he knew that China was actively introducing computer control technology and that domestic computer research institutes had achieved certain research results.
Let's calculate how much time is left until the computer age. If you're unsure when the computer's golden age began, you can use the popularity of something like QQ as a starting point.
Many rural people in later generations started to learn about the outside world through making friends on QQ, and their minds gradually became more open.
This is just for civilian use. If we go back to the industrial sector, let alone electrification and automation, the era of computer-controlled industrial production is already very, very close.
Sometimes, you think you've caught up with the main group, but as you run on, you realize that you've only caught up with a group of fellow travelers who are also chasing after you.
There are always people working hard ahead of you.
Only with the growth and expansion of the Optoelectronics Research Institute can Honggang Group have the opportunity to participate in this grand event of industrial informatization.
The two questions he raised are by no means alarmist or misleading; they are well worth considering.
If it were alarmist, it wouldn't have attracted so many people to participate in the discussion and generate so many ideas.
These two problems have spread from the cadre group to the grassroots workers, and everyone has a deep sense of crisis in their spare time.
Especially in recent years, from Hongxing Factory to Honggang Group, the entire industrial system of the group has undergone a complete overhaul of its production equipment.
Those workers who couldn't adapt to the new machinery have been laid off. Looking at the young people who had just graduated and started working in the workshop, the older employees in their forties and fifties frowned.
A new generation surpasses the old. In the past, it was the old who guided the new, passing on their knowledge and skills. When a new worker entered the factory, who wouldn't ask to be apprenticed to a master?
You should treat your master with more respect than your own father, because your master can teach you a skill, keep you safe in the factory, and even find you a wife to take care of your family.
However, starting two years ago, in 68, the Hongxing Factory established a vocational and technical college and began to train workers in large numbers.
Students around fifteen or sixteen years old, who have just graduated from junior high school, enter the college and begin to learn about mechanical control.
They studied at a vocational college for three years, systematically completing all the necessary developmental processes for becoming a qualified worker.
In other words, they had already learned the skills taught by their masters at school, and even completed their internships there.
When we arrived at the workshop, there was no longer any apprenticeship system; everyone was just a comrade and colleague.
In the first year, the veterans might be able to suppress the newcomers with their years of experience, but in the long run, the young people who have received systematic training and education will definitely have more opportunities.
Once their skills are refined and combined with the mindset cultivated in schools, they will inevitably replace those older workers.
So many employees haven't even found an answer to the anxiety of being replaced by these new employees, and now two more major challenges are looming in front of them.
What will happen to those who are competing for jobs now, which are likely to be replaced by machines in ten or twenty years?
This question is very straightforward, and many workers can relate to it. The original Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill had more than 10,000 employees, but now the Hongxing Steel City Steel Rolling Mill has less than 6,000 employees.
The new plant has more than doubled the capacity of the old plant, but the total number of workers has been reduced by more than half.
The fewer workers there are now, the higher the productivity is. The saying "Many hands make light work" is being replaced by "Many hands are not as powerful as mechanization".
***
On June 17, Li Xuewu brought the team from Northeast Industry to Gangdian, where workers surrounded him and asked him this question.
A woman in her early forties bravely asked, "Leader, do you think we will be replaced by mechanization?"
"That's a good question, haha."
Li Xuewu saw that the scene instantly quieted down, and all the workers in the workshop were looking at him.
He nodded, looked the woman up and down, and asked, "I don't know your name yet. Would you like to introduce yourself?"
"Hello, leader, my name is Wang Sumei."
Hearing that the supervisor wanted to get to know her, the female worker excitedly introduced herself: "I am an assembly worker at station 113 on the white goods production line. I am 42 years old this year and used to work at the Third Radio Manufacturing Plant in Beijing."
"Oh, it's the factory from 68 years ago."
Li Xuewu nodded. He understood from her introduction that she had joined the factory when it was merging sixteen companies.
The female worker smiled and nodded, replying, "Yes, leader. I came to Hongxing Factory in 68. I came to the steel city after the electronics factory was built."
"Good, well done." Li Xuewu smiled approvingly and said, "I am proud of you, a woman, for coming all the way from Beijing to the steel city to participate in the group's electronics industry construction."
"Boss, it's precisely because we've sacrificed so much for our work that we're worried..." Wang Sumei was a bit recklessly bold. Even though the workshop director was glaring at her, she still asked, "Will we be replaced by mechanization?"
"This issue likely stems from a conversation I had in my office."
Li Xuewu smiled and looked at the cadres around him, saying, "I asked Zhou Linghua, the director of the office of the Electromechanical Management Department, but I didn't expect everyone to start thinking about these two questions."
"Actually, if you think about it, it's not a big deal, it's fine."
He said in a very calm tone, "The reason I asked him this question is to make him, and the young cadres who will manage the group in the future, think about how they should face the progress of the times when they stand in our position."
"Now let's return to the question of Comrade Wang Sumei. Will workers be replaced by mechanization? The answer is definitely yes."
Li Xuewu's expression turned serious as everyone's emotions rose. "Think about it, how were steel products produced before lathes were available?"
"To be even more specific, there were no television sets before, so where would television assembly workshops and workers come from?"
He glanced at everyone and said, "Technology is constantly advancing. It's not that we don't want to lose our jobs, or that we don't want technology to advance."
"We've all learned a saying: If you fall behind, you'll be bullied, comrades."
The atmosphere became tense, and everyone frowned in thought; the problem seemed to be getting more and more complicated.
"Technology is advancing, and jobs are being replaced by mechanization. What should we do?" Li Xuewu summarized this question and continued, "Of course, we hope that technology and industry will become more advanced, and that many dangerous and arduous jobs can be replaced by mechanization."
"Each generation has its own mission, and the same applies to workers."
He gestured to the young people in the workshop and said, "Their future, and even their next generation, will see workers sitting in offices operating machinery. This means that the workers' working environment has improved!"
So, what should we do in the face of this crisis?
Li Xuewu paused for a moment and said, "Worrying about things that haven't happened yet is useless. You, Wang Sumei, are 42 years old, and you can still become a worker at Gangcheng Electronics in today's highly competitive job market. Doesn't that prove that your skills are competitive?"
"It will take time for machines to replace workers, and what we need to do is outrun that process."
He looked at the young people and said, “So you are the ones who should feel more of a sense of crisis. Those older brothers and sisters may not be able to keep up with the era of mechanization and electrification replacing their jobs even after they retire, but you will definitely be able to.”
"If you don't strengthen your learning skills, delve into technology, and improve your cultural literacy at this time, you will not only have to compete with mechanization, but also with your colleagues for the remaining positions."
Upon hearing this, many of the older workers relaxed, but the younger workers turned pale.
The group's leaders would never make empty promises. If they say that many senior employees will be forced to retire before they can be replaced, then that's for sure.
If you say they will definitely catch up, then they definitely will!
"Faced with the great tide of the times, we as individuals cannot hinder technological progress and development; all we can do is survive."
Li Xuewu could sense that these two questions had been brewing in the minds of the cadres and employees, so he gave a correct answer today.
My mentor once said that learning makes one progress.
He raised his voice and said to the workers in the workshop, "No matter how fast mechanization develops, isn't it all invented and driven by us humans?"
"As long as there are people in society, there will always be needs for life, and the existence of any one of us is valuable."
The group's secretary-general led the entire leadership team of Northeast Industry to conduct research, and the person in charge of Steel Electric at home must accompany them.
Having been in the steel city for less than half a month, Ao Yuhua has already rediscovered the excellence and strength of this young secretary-general in organizational management.
Back then, she was the deputy director of the management committee office of Hongxing Factory, and Li Xuewu was also a deputy director, but she was not as capable as Li Xuewu in her work.
Although she was the older sister and had more work experience than him, he could always solve problems with ease.
You can't help but admire him, and you'd be genuinely jealous.
Two questions can motivate all employees of the Northeast Industrial Development Corporation to think and discuss, and an impromptu speech can inspire them to actively learn and hone their skills.
It is believed that the impact of these two questions and one answer will continue to grow, spreading throughout the entire group and prompting reflection, discussion, and learning.
It's not just Honggang Group; many more people will get involved.
Two questions and one answer will always hang over the workers' heads, reminding them that if they fall behind, they will be attacked and replaced.
Perhaps in future work and life, some people will become lax and habitually forget this sharp sword, but there will always be people around who remember it.
When a crisis arrives, those who are prepared will successfully escape, and this sharp sword will also become a source of despair and reflection, cutting off the escape route for the lazy.
Each time, it will be a reminder, until it is forever etched in our memories.
On June 20, the United Industry Daily published an article entitled "Two Questions and One Answer," which was soon reprinted by the Industry Daily and the People's Daily.
-
"It's not fun, it's not interesting at all."
Zhou Xiaobai spent a week playing on the mountain, and it was time for him to return to Beijing to choose his future path.
Li Xuewu came to pick her up and treated her to a proper Northeastern Chinese meal.
Her appetite wasn't large, but it was definitely not small compared to girls in later generations. After all, even she couldn't afford to eat so much meat and fish in this era.
Li Xuewu rarely saw fat people. Li Wenbiao's fatness was not due to eating too much meat, but rather to his physique and his short stature.
Insufficient protein and fat intake resulted in everyone appearing healthy, which is ironic considering the weight loss challenges of later generations.
"Even the best food gets cloying if you eat too much of it." Li Xuewu served her a bowl of soup, but let's not talk about the soup itself, I can't describe it.
He gestured to Zhou Xiaobai and said, "That's why I suggest you try something different."
"What are you trying to say?" Zhou Xiaobai looked at him, pouting, and said, "You think I'm annoying, right?"
"Hehe—" Li Xuewu smiled and raised his hand, gesturing for her to drink the soup.
"You just find me annoying—"
Zhou Xiaobai sullenly gulped down a mouthful of soup and complained, "I came to visit you, but all you do is work."
"If I were as carefree as you, I'd play even harder than you."
Li Xuewu looked her over and said, "You'll understand what it means to be powerless when you start working."
"Or I can come visit you when you're at work later, and we'll see what you choose."
“I can take leave!” Zhou Xiaobai shook his head and said, “I’ll take leave for as long as you’re here, and I’ll stay with you every day.”
"What if you became the dean?"
Li Xuewu looked at her and asked, "Can you leave everyone at the hospital and your job behind just to hang out with me?"
“Uh—” Zhou Xiaobai actually thought about the question seriously, but suddenly laughed.
"Our dean is 53 years old this year."
She looked at Li Xuewu with amusement and said, "I'll probably be around this age when I become the dean. Come visit me then—hahaha!"
It was as if she had touched a nerve that triggered her laughter; she was laughing so hard she almost fell to the ground.
An old man came to visit an old woman—hahaha—
"Heh—" Li Xuewu finally caught up with her laughter and looked at her amusedly, saying, "You'd better think it over carefully, what's fun about it?"
"Ha ha ha ha--"
Zhou Xiaobai laughed until tears streamed down her face, patting his arm and saying, "We made a promise, didn't we? You'll come visit me even when you're fifty."
"Okay, no problem." Li Xuewu nodded seriously and said, "As long as I can still find you, I will definitely come to visit you."
Why can't you find me?
Zhou Xiaobai looked at him sensitively and said, "Is it that you don't want me anymore, or that I've gone far away?"
What's going on in your little head?
Li Xuewu looked her up and down with amusement and asked, "Haven't you seriously thought about your future?"
"Isn't my life good enough for me now?"
Zhou Xiaobai widened his eyes and said, "I have everything I could want, except for not having a child yet."
"Then you should think about it carefully."
Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and nodded, saying, "After all, living alone and living with a child are two different things."
"What would you choose if you were in my shoes?"
Zhou Xiaobai looked at him with a dazed expression and asked, "Are you just waiting until you're old enough to have a child, and then growing old like this?"
"Or should we make a different choice now, like you said..."
"Me?" Li Xuewu raised his chin, and after thinking about it seriously for a while, he said, "I might choose an independent and free life."
"What kind of life is called independence? What kind of life is called freedom?" Zhou Xiaobai seemed to have taken a liking to his philosophy of life.
She didn't feel that Li Xuewu was influencing her choices; rather, it was a reflection of her aspirations and attitude towards life.
Zhou Xiaobai knew very well that Li Xuewu didn't need him, and that his existence was of no use to Li Xuewu anymore.
I'm following him now mainly because of all the things I've done for him and the rewards I've received for persevering until now.
Perhaps in his heart, he doesn't dislike himself, or even fear his father and distance himself from him; he has the confidence to say that.
However, he would not force her to stay by his side, nor would he coax her into becoming his exclusive possession, because his heart is free and independent.
"Freedom and independence are both states of being."
Li Xuewu thought for a moment and said, "There is no absolute freedom, so it depends on how much relative freedom we can access."
He shrugged and said, "For me, being naked is the most liberating thing, but I can't go out naked."
"Ha ha ha ha--"
Zhou Xiaobai laughed heartily and gave a thumbs up to the example he gave.
Li Xuewu smiled and said, "When it comes to freedom, it's probably more of a way to describe how I make choices in life."
"So you have many choices, including mine, right?" Zhou Xiaobai said bluntly, "You are free to choose, and you are relatively independent."
"Independence means not wanting to take responsibility."
She curled her lip and said, "You're just like this. Only today have I seen through you. You've finally been exposed."
"Hahahaha—" Li Xuewu laughed and nodded, "What's that saying again? Turn back before it's too late. If you want to turn back, you'd better do it sooner rather than later."
"I'm free too, hmph—"
Zhou Xiaobai tilted his head back and said, "I can turn back whenever I want, and I can move forward whenever I want. Besides, I can be very independent!"
She looked into Li Xuewu's eyes and said, "I don't need you to take responsibility for me. To me, you are just an indispensable tool that I don't need to use every day!"
"Look at you, don't be angry, drink the soup."
Seeing her glare, Li Xuewu smiled and coaxed her, saying, "This soup is very nourishing, especially for the brain."
"Get lost, you're the one who's brainless!"
Zhou Xiaobai rolled her eyes at him, but still drank the soup in her bowl whole. She really needed to improve her brainpower, otherwise she couldn't win an argument with him.
"I've made up my mind, I'll stay in Beijing to work."
As if she had made up her mind, she said frankly, "Even if you're annoyed with me, even if I'm annoyed with my mom, I'll accept it so I can see you again in the future."
"Do you want me to help you contact a company?"
Li Xuewu did not comment on her choice, but clearly expressed his support and even offered to help her find a job.
She was selected from a military medic to study at a medical school. Of course, she had to go back after graduation; otherwise, she would need to be accepted by a unit.
Of course, ordinary people don't have the right to make a choice. After graduation, the school won't ask for your opinion, and your file will be directly transferred back to your original unit.
But Zhou Xiaobai is different. She has many choices in life and doesn't necessarily have to go back to work at the same company as her classmates.
They didn't even need to be demobilized; they could find a job in Beijing to take them in.
"You also have connections with military hospitals?"
Zhou Xiaobai glanced at him and said, "You're not thinking of introducing me to your wife's workplace, are you?"
"Don't worry, someone like you can't get in."
Li Xuewu nodded and said bluntly, "Their hospital is currently implementing an expert training program, and all newly recruited medical students must be from medical universities."
"What? You look down on us medical school graduates?"
Although Zhou Xiaobai didn't want to go to the hospital where Gu Ning worked, she couldn't stand being looked down upon or even being outdone.
"How about I ask around for you?" Li Xuewu said with a smile, "Give you a chance to try?"
"Then forget it, there's no need."
Zhou Xiaobai deflated instantly, took a bite of the rib, and said, "I am free, and I am independent."
"Okay, this trip wasn't a waste of time; I learned a lot about life philosophy."
Li Xuewu jokingly served her another bowl of soup and placed it in front of her.
Do you sometimes really think I'm stupid?
Zhou Xiaobai, still holding a spare rib in her hand, looked at him and asked, "Do you think I'm being overly eager and offering a super cheap deal?"
"If you put it that way, are you questioning my reason for still thinking about buying you gifts while I'm abroad?"
Li Xuewu silenced her with just one sentence, leaving her speechless despite having a bellyful of grievances she wanted to express.
"The gift is very nice, I like it very much."
She looked at the soup in the bowl and said, "From now on, you'd better remember me every time and never make me speak."
"Hehe—" Li Xuewu looked at her childlike face and nodded, saying, "Okay, as long as you don't find it tedious."
“I’m willing—” Zhou Xiaobai glared at him and said, “I’m not changing my taste. I’m sticking with one person, so what?”
“Okay, I didn’t say no. Have some soup.” Li Xuewu raised his hand and gestured, “This is the best for the liver, it’s really good for your health.”
"What?!" Zhou Xiaobai was both amused and annoyed. Pointing to the soup bowl, she said, "This is supposed to be a brain-boosting soup, how come it's also good for the liver?!"
She pouted, but couldn't help laughing as she asked, "Do you really think I'm stupid and easy to fool, and you're trying to shut me up with soup?"
"Then what will shut you up?"
-
After Zhou Xiaobai left, Hu Ke arrived.
Li Xuewu first accompanied him to tour the construction site of the car city. Looking at the factory buildings rising from the ground, Hu Ke also had many feelings.
“This kind of scene—” he turned to Wang Lu, the deputy director in charge of industry in the steel city, and said, “I’ve only seen it back in the 1950s.”
“It’s not about the scale and size of the factory construction, it’s about a state of being,” he explained. “I can describe it as the Honggang model.”
"It is a spirit of vigor, racing against time, and prioritizing science and technology and strong productivity."
Hu Ke was somewhat excited. Looking at the large construction site, especially the clustered construction machinery, anyone would be excited.
With so much manpower and resources invested, the value of this land has been realized, and he has already begun to envision the future of the automobile city.
Wang Lu looked at the well-organized construction site and imagined that this year was her fifth year as the person in charge of Steel City Industry, and also a crucial year.
From the day Honggang Group moved its industry to the steel city, she saw a bright future for herself.
Hu Ke has already spoken with her, and the higher-ups will also talk to her next. She can continue working in the steel city for another five years.
However, in the following five years, she no longer carried out her mission as the deputy director in charge of industry, but instead viewed the steel city from a higher perspective.
"How long will it take for the technology and equipment you imported from Japan to be implemented?" Hu Ke asked with concern. "Didn't you say you were also going to coordinate technical personnel to come to the steel city to guide construction and production?"
"Yes, the equipment is already on its way."
Li Xuewu nodded and explained, "Technology-related cooperation has already begun, with Sanhe Co., Ltd. playing a crucial bridging role."
The current head of Sanhe is Nakamura. He is far less ruthless and decisive than Kenichi Nishida, but he is absolutely as steady as a rock in terms of business management.
This is definitely a good thing for Sanhe, because now that it has developed to its current size, it is no longer the small company it once was and needs time to mature.
Of course, in this new stage of development, they also need friends and cooperation, so they took the initiative to build bridges for the Japanese companies in this cooperation with Honggang Group.
Gao Yaqin from Honggang Group is actively coordinating and has opened a channel for Japanese technical personnel to enter the mainland in advance to communicate and cooperate with engineers from Honggang and other automobile manufacturers.
Li Xuewu couldn't possibly put all his chickens in one KTV, much less put all his eggs in one basket.
While actively introducing Japanese technology, he took the initiative to contact Shantal to start a new round of discussions on future cooperation between the two parties.